Rotary vacuum cleaner brush



Dec. 5, 1950 c. H. M FA'RLAND ROTARY VACUUM CLEANER .Bausn 37- Q INVENTOR, I Y Charla! H.M Farla1ul ATTORNEYS T Filed ,Jan. '22, 1949 c. H. M FARLAND 2,533,169

ROTARY VACUUM CLEANER BRUSH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Charles H- MacFai'Iand BY & I

F .ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 5, 1950 ROTARY VACUUM CLEANER BRUSH Charles H. MacFarland, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Scott & Fetzer Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 22, 1949, Serial No. 72,120

4 Claims.

1 This invention relates to vacuum cleaner brushes and more particularly to brushes of the rotary type in which helical bristle strips are mounted in the brush cylinder.

The invention has for an-obiect to provide a bristle strip that has a base member provided with a longitudinal bristle clamping channel adapted to be mounted in a slot in a hollow cylinder and having integral attaching flanges engageable with the exterior of the cylinder along opposite sides of the slot.

A further object is to provide bands that'fit within the brush cylinder that serve to anchor strip fastening members and that also serve to position a counterweight within the cylinder directly opposite the brush strip.

.With the above and other objects in view the invention may be said to comprise the brush as illustrated in the accompanying drawings and hereinafter described, together with such variations and modification thereof as will be apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical section through a vacuum cleaner nozzle, showing the rotary brush embodying the present invention mounted therein;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of one end of the brush;

Fig. 3 is a fra mentary longitudinal section through the brush cylinder;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the brush cylinder taken onthe line indicated at 4-4 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view showing a modified form of brush;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the counterweight and fastener band assembly;

Fig. '7 is a section taken on the line indicated at 1'I in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section taken on the line indicated at 8--8 in Fig. 6.

In Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings there is shown a portion of a conventional vacuum cleaner nozzle I that is provided with vertically adjustable supporting members 2 at opposite ends thereof that receive slotted heads 3 attached to opposite ends of a shaft] upon which a brush cylinder 5 is rotatably mounted. The cylinder 5 is preferably a hollow sheet metal cylinder and may be provided at the mid-portion thereof with an abrasion resistant plastic covering 6 that forms a central pulley for a driving belt I. Bristle strips 8 are mounted in the cylinder 5 and these strips are disposed one on each side of the central pulley 6, each extending helically through less than half the cylinder circumference, the two brushes being mounted in opposite halves of the cylinder.

As shown in Fig. 4, the bristle strip is composed of bristles 9 that have their mid-portions looped over a suitable core strip III, the bristle loops and core III being clamped in a channel formed in a sheet metal retaining strip II, the channel portion of which is crimped upon the bristle loops and core to firmly hold the bristles in place. The retaining strip II has integral flanges l2 projecting outwardly from opposite sides of the bristle receiving channel that are adapted to engage the exterior of the cylinder 5. The channel portionof the retaining strip II is received in a helical slot l3 formed in the cylinder 5, the retaining member being bent to conform to the slot so that the bristles are disposed substantially radially of the cylinder when the strip I l is mounted in the slot.

The bristle strips are retained by suitable clamping members engaging the same on opposite sides of the strip, and these clamping members may be in the form of rivets l4 passing through openings in the cylinder 5 that are disposed outwardly of the flanges I2 but closely adjacent to the edges of the flanges I2 so that the outer heads l5 of the rivets overlap the flanges I! to secure the same to the exterior of the cylinder 5. The rivets II have inner head I 6 that engage the interior of anchoring bands I! within the cylinder 5. The bands I! are preferably formed of resilient sheet metal and are transversely split so that they are adapted to exert an expansive pressure on the interior of the cylinder to hold them in adjusted position. Sufficient space is provided between the ends of the bands to receive the retaining strip H and the bands I! have openings that are adapted to register with openings in the cylinder and receive the rivets It. The bands II also serve as a support for an elongated counterbalancing member I8 in the form of a metal strip that is attached tothe bands and that conforms to the interior of the cylinder 5, the counterbalance member I8 extending along the interior of the cylinder diametrically opposite the brush strip 8. The counterbalancing bar l8 weighs substantially the same as the brush strip and fastening members and balances the same to substantially eliminate vibrations.

In Figs. 5 to 8 of the drawings a slightly modifled construction is shown in which the brush strips have sheet metal retaining members 20 similar to the strips H except that the side flanges 2| thereof are of greater width than the flanges [2 so that they may be provided with openings to receive attaching screws 22. The attaching screws 22 are engaged interiorly by spring nuts 23 in the form of resilient sheet metal bands. Each band is transversely split to accommodate the brush strip and has screw receiving openings 24 formed between inwardly deflected spring tongues 25 thatare received in the thread grooves of the screws and receive the. thrust of the screw threads upon rotation of the screws. The bands 23 are positioned one adjacent each end of each of the bristle strips to receive a pair of attaching screws and these bands serve to support and position a counterweight strip l8a which may be identical to the counterweight strip l8 previously referred to. By providing attaching screws the bristle strips are detachably mounted and can be easily replaced with new strips when the bristles become worn.

It is to be understood that in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, variations and modifications of the specific devices herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A vacuum cleaner brush comprising a hollow cylinder having a helical slot extending through less than half its circumference, a bristle strip comprising looped bristles and a sheet metal bristle retainer of channel form crimped upon said bristles and positioned in said helical slot and having integral flanges along opposite edges thereof that engage and conform to the exterior of the cylinder, fastening members extending through the cylinder wall and engaging with said flanges exteriorly of the cylinder, and spaced resiliently expansible bands within the cylinder to which the inner ends of the fastening members are attached.

2. A vacuum cleaner brush comprising a hollow cylinder having a helical slot extending through less than half its circumference, a bristle strip having a sheet metal bristle retainer of channel form shaped to fit in said helical slot and having integral flanges along opposite edges thereof that are shaped to conform to the exterior of the cylinder, fastening members extending through the cylinder wall and engaging with 4 said flanges exteriorly of the cylinder, spaced .bands within the cylinder to which the inner ends of the fastening members are attached, and a counterweight attached to said bands and disposed diametrically opposite said bristle'strip.

3. A vacuum cleaner brush comprising a ho]- low cylinder having a helical slot extending through less than half its circumference, a bristle strip having a sheet metal bristle retainer of channel form shaped to fit in said helical slot and having integral flanges along opposite edges thereof that are shaped to conform to the exterior of the cylinder, fastening members extending through the cylinder wall and engaging with said flanges exteriorly of the cylinder, spaced bands within the cylinder to which the inner ends of the fastening members are attached, and an elongated strip of metal shaped to conform to the interior of said cylinder and engaging the same diametrically opposite said bristle strip,

said metal strip counterbalancing said bristle strip and being attached to said bands to hold the same in properly spaced relation.

4. A vacuum cleaner brush comprising a hollow cylinder having a helical slot extending through less than half its circumference, a bristle strip having a sheet metal bristle retainer of channel form shaped to flt in said helical slot and having integral flanges along opposite edges thereof that are shaped to conform to the exterior of the cylinder, screws extending through the cylinder wall and engaging said flanges exteriorly of the cylinder, bands within the cylinder having openings to receive said screws and provided with resilient tongues engaging the screw threads, and a counterweight attached to said bands and positioned diametrically opposite said brush strip.

'- CHARLES H. MACFARLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,141,863 Bausman June 1, 1915 1,749,744 Thacher Mar. 4, 1930 2,261,768 Jones Nov. 4, 1941 2,261,781 Smellie Nov. 4, 1941 2,271,545 Cummings Feb. 3, 1942 2,297,366 Pierce Sept. 29, 1942 

